A customer for a vehicle may customize the vehicle by adding such accessories as different tires than those originally specified for the vehicle, or lift kits. Lift kits are an assembly of parts that when added to the vehicle, change the profile of the vehicle. A lift kit lifts or lowers the vehicle, traditionally both front and rear, typically from 1″ to more than 4″. Lift kits may come in three varieties: body lift kits, suspension lift kits, and suspension lowering kits.
Conventionally, a body lift kit uses blocks and spacers to lift the body higher onto the frame of the vehicle without altering the suspension geometry. With a body lift kit, the ground clearance often remains unchanged, but the extra height allows larger wheels and tires. The steering geometry conventionally remains unaltered, so the vehicle may retain most of its original driving and handling characteristics. Body lifts may be more affordable and easier to install than suspension lift kits.
Suspension lift kits often include replacement of shocks and/or struts, leaf springs, control arms, trailing arms, driveshaft and steering components. Replacing and upgrading these components allows for more suspension articulation, more ground clearance, and the ability to run larger tires.
Like suspension lift kits, suspension lowering kits may include replacement of shocks and/or struts, leaf springs, control arms, trailing arms, driveshaft and steering components. Replacing and upgrading these components allows for more suspension articulation, and lower ground clearance.
As used herein, tire and/or lift kit customization is referred to as “tire and lift kit accessories.”
Retailers may desire a process for managing the process of vehicle customization so as to provide the customer with information regarding the tire and lift kit accessories and prices of the tire and lift kit accessories. Further, such a process may facilitate purchases of tire and lift kit accessories by those customers that might otherwise not occur had such a process not existed.
Traditional processes for presenting information regarding accessories and prices of the tire and lift kit accessories have been limited. With respect to tires, a retailer employee may show the customer a picture of the tire from a paper catalog, magazine, product guide, or digital image. With respect to lift kits, only a list of parts without images may be available to the retailer for presentation to a customer. In some traditional processes, tire and lift kit accessories may be shown on a vehicle other than that being purchased by the customer, traditionally on paper. For example, tire and lift kit accessories may be shown to customers from physical copies of catalogs, which may be in some cases out of date or not offered for particular models or years of vehicles. Traditional systems have limited, manual systems for determining whether the tire and lift kit accessories selected by the customer may be used or available for the vehicle the customer has selected, such as consulting a catalog. Also, in traditional methods, the customer is unable to view the tire and lift kit accessories on a vehicle that is the same or similar to the vehicle being purchased or considered for purchase by the customer.